Scripture: Numbers 14:1-10; Luke 10:19-20; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11
Theme: Winning God’s Way
Proposition: The Bible reveals to us how to live a victorious life in the midst of our struggles, our trials and tribulations.
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!
I want to talk to you today about being a winner.
I want to talk to you today about having a breakthrough in your life that can lead you to experiencing a life of victory.
The LORD did not create any of us to be losers. He did not create any of us to spend our years here on this earth regretting the very day we were born. He did not breathe life into us for us to live a substandard and marginalized existence.
Just the opposite; the more you read God’s Word the more you read how it is the Lord’s desire for us to live a life of joy, peace and love. The more you read God’s Word the more you now that is the Lord’s desire for us to live a life of victory, prosperity and happiness.
One of the biggest temptations and lies that the Devil whispers in all of our ears is that we are not worthy to be happy or successful. One of the biggest lies that the Devil places before our minds is that God doesn’t care about us and has abandoned us to a life full of fear, of heartache and depression.
We must always remember when we have those thoughts they are never from the LORD. They always originate with the One who wants to steal from us, lie to us and destroy us.
This is exactly where we find the Children of Israel in Numbers chapter 14.
This was supposed to be their coming out chapter. This was supposed to be the first of a series of victories and triumphs. This was supposed to be the beginning of what they had been dreaming for hundreds of years.
Ever since they had left the Promise Land under Jacob and had settled in Egypt they had wanted to come back to the land God had given them. It was a land filled with milk and honey. In other words, it was a land that they could raise their livestock, grow their crops and enjoy the natural fruits of the land. It was a land that was the perfect place to raise their families.
Moses had sent out 12 spies to go and gather some data that they could use to be able to take the land in a matter of weeks and months. Moses had sent out some of his brightest minds and most courageous hearts to come back with a plan to go and take the Promise Land. God had told them it was their land for the taking.
But what happened was that the people who went out to spy the land became overwhelmed. They allowed the Devil to deceive their eyes, weaken their faith and destroy their resolve. They allowed the Devil to magnify the negative around them to the point they could only see problems and trials that looked like giants.
Instead of wanting to go forward the move now was to go backward. Instead of being eager to go into the Promise Land they wanted to return back to their lives of slavery back in Egypt. Instead of enjoying the life God had rescued them from they wanted to go back to a life of enslavement and poverty.
They knew how to be slaves. They knew how to live under someone else’s thumb. They knew how to have someone else tell them where to live and what to do. They knew how to bare their backs for a beating.
That kind of life had become a part of their DNA. For hundreds of years they had been beaten down and trampled upon. That type of life was natural for them.
But God had something radically different for them. He had called Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to be victors and not victims. He had blessed them to men of renown with thousands of sheep, cattle, goats and other livestock. He had blessed them to be leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs.
Now, it was time for their great-great-grandchildren and beyond to receive from the LORD blessings and favor. Now, it was time for their people to take their rightful place in the world and be owners of the Promise Land.
However, in their way were a group of people who for the last 300-400 years had occupied the land that God had given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They were a formidable people. They were strong in wisdom, in knowledge and in military prowess.
Among them lived some of the descendants of the Nephilim. This was a race of people that many believed were hybrid humans; humans that had been genetically modified. This was a race that many believed possessed great statue, supernatural strength and cunningness. This was a race of people that many at that time believed were to powerful to ever conquer or vanish.
As a result those that spied out the land came back with a terrible report. Sure the land was beautiful. Sure it was all that their ancestors had spoken about. Sure it was an ideal place to live, to raise and family and to call your own.
But standing there blocking the door was an enemy more dangerous and more powerful than even the Egyptians. Blocking the way was an enemy that they could never conceive of defeating. They saw cities that were surrounded by walls hundreds of feet in height and towns armed with soldiers loaded down with armor, weapons and chariots.
Confusion filled the camp. Uncertainty filled the air. You could breathe in the stench of fear, doubt and dread. A cloud of deep depression and defeat began to cover the camp.
Then a burst of anger was let loose; a rage of anger that was quickly directed towards Moses and Aaron. The congregation of Israel wanted their heads. They wanted to stone them right and there and throw their carcasses to the wild beasts.
The people wanted to hold an election and see who would take charge of leading them back to Egypt. Who would be able to calm the waters with Egypt so that they could return without Egypt annihilating them? Who would be able to negotiate their return and enable them once again to be Egypt’s property?
In the midst of all of this, Joshua and Caleb stand up in opposition. They too had seen all that the other 10 spies had seen. They had seen the amazing wonder of the Promise Land. They had seen the cities with their walls hundreds of feet high. They had seen the iron chariots and the soldiers loaded down with armor and weapons of war. They had seen the presence of the Anak as they strutted around the country side.
But in their hearts they saw something bigger, more powerful and that would enable the Children of Israel to take the Land. They saw the Promise of God. They saw the Provisions of God. They saw the Power of God.
This morning, let’s look at the words that Joshua and Caleb voiced here in verses 8-9. Words that if we will listen to their wisdom and counsel can enable us to be able to live a life of trust and faith. Words that if we will listen to their wisdom and counsel can enable us to be victors and not victims. Words that if we will listen to their wisdom and counsel will enable us to receive all the blessings and favor God has for us.
I. Don’t rebel against the LORD
Joshua knows the hearts of Israel’s people. Over the last few months he has watched them as they have been stiff necked and have rebelled against the LORD.
+They rebelled over the way God has led them through the wilderness
+They rebelled over the leaders God has given them; Moses and Aaron
+They rebelled over the lack of food and water; feeling like neither God nor Moses cared about their personal needs
In fact, it seemed like every day brought another instance for their rebellion. They didn’t like how long the LORD spent with Moses on Mt. Sinai. They didn’t like the way that God had treated those who had rebelled at Taberah. They didn’t like manna. They didn’t like a lot of things.
They had the wrong mindset. Their hearts were in the wrong places. Their souls were turn inward; filled with selfishness and pride.
And now Joshua wants them to turn around. He wants them to repent. He wants them to quit complaining, murmuring and criticizing. He wants them to quit being belligerent and argumentative. He wants them to quit being so negative.
You see what had happened is that they had allowed the Devil to sow the wrong seeds in their hearts, minds and souls for hundreds of years. Generation after generation had grown up just complaining, murmuring and being negative.
With their sheer numbers they should have been able to be free themselves of Egypt’s tyranny years ago. With all their skill, their wisdom and their knowledge they should have been able to leave Egypt long ago.
They had developed a defeatist mindset. They had allowed their problems to overwhelm them. They had allowed the Devil to enslave them heart, mind and soul. They had allowed the Devil to fill them with fear, anxiety, dread, doubt and disbelief.
They could only see themselves as victims. They couldn’t see that the LORD was going to go with them. They couldn’t see how God could favor them and bless them.
If you had been there you would have heard these words and thoughts throughout the Israelite nation:
+Nothing goes right for me and my family. It has been that way for generations. We can’t ever get ahead.
+We have always been poor and I guess we will always stay poor. The world is just against us. There is nothing we can do.
+We have always been kicked down and I guess we will always be kicked down by those above us.
+We have always been a sick family and I guess we will always be a family that has more than its share of sicknesses.
+Our family has always had an anger problem; it’s just the way we were made. We are rebellious and violent.
+People in our family can never stay happily married. It just seems that having a happy marriage and family is beyond us. Family problems and divorce are just a part of our DNA.
+Our family has always struggled with some kind of addiction; tobacco, alcohol, drugs – you name it – we just seemed to be cursed with someone or everyone having to suffer from this addiction or that addiction.
That was the type of talk that was going rampant in the Children of Israel. They saw themselves as victims. They saw themselves as losers. They saw themselves as human trash. They saw themselves as those who didn’t deserve anything wonderful and amazing.
But Joshua wants them to stop that negative thinking. For those thoughts are rebellious to the LORD.
God did not rescue or redeem His people for them to wallow in negative thinking. He did not lead them out of slavery for them to become perpetual slaves to fear, doubt and depression. He did not defeat the Egyptians and provide for them in the wilderness for them to spend their time complaining and murmuring.
The same is true for us. We can look around and see all that is against the Church today. We can look around and in some cases we do have quite a bit we could murmur and complain about. Things on the outside don’t look good. Even things on the inside don’t look very good. We do have some things that look like giants against us.
+But in the end where will that get any of us?
+Where will it get us if we overestimate the things that are against us as followers of Christ and underestimate the God that we serve?
II. Joshua tells them the people to turn off the fear button and turn on the faith button
Secondly, Joshua tells them to turn off the fear button. He wants them to no longer listen to the voices of fear.
Fear is a monster. It can over ride you with anxiety. Fear can steal your joy and even steal your health. Fear can stop you in your tracks. Fear can paralyze your heart, your mind and your soul. Fear can cause you to miss all of God’s blessings and favor.
The devil loves to box us in with fear. He loves it when we think that the evil that surrounds us is far greater than the God we serve. He loves it when he can fill our minds with fear; fear of growing old, fear of losing our resources, fear of failing health, fear of being alone, fear of losing our family and friends.
Notice what Joshua does with fear. He throws it out and speaks a word of faith.
Instead of fearing, Joshua commands them to look at things with eyes of faith:
+Our enemies are bread for us
In other words they are going to be like lunch for us. We don’t need to fear them. They are not strong. We will eat them alive.
Those are the words of a warrior. Those are the words of a man who can remember the crossing at the Red Sea. Those are the words of a man who has been captured by the heart of God and who can see who God is and what God can do for His people.
+Their protection is removed
Those little words translated from the Hebrew are eye opening.
ESV – Their protection is removed
NIV – Their protection is gone
NLT – They have no protection
NKJV – Their protection has departed from them
NASB – Their protection has been removed from them
Joshua was able to see in the spiritual realm where they were enslaved to the natural realm.
Joshua understood something. This battle for the Promise Land was not just a natural battle. It was a spiritual battle. So, too had been the battle with Egypt. The plagues had revealed that aspect.
The God of the Universe was their God. The God of the Hebrews, Jehovah was the Only God. There is no other god besides Him. He is Creator. He is Lord. He is King. No one can stand up against Him and God has removed His protection from the Canaanites.
That is what they should have been thinking. They should have been thinking like another warrior that fought another giant; the young boy David.
When David fought Goliath he did not see a giant. Instead, he saw a man operating in the realm of evil. He saw a man who lived outside of the covenant of God. He saw a man who was rebelling against God. He saw a man that making fun of God and His people. He saw a man without the protection of God.
And while others believed that they could not defeat Goliath, David couldn’t understand why he could not defeat Goliath. That’s because David had eyes of faith, a heart committed to God and was living under the anointing of God’s Holy Spirit.
In His book, I AM DAVID, Pastor Jimmy Evans points out that David received some amazing revelation that day through the power and presence of God’s Holy Spirit.
Goliath came at Israel with a sword, with a spear and with a javelin. He came at him with the normal weapons of war. He came against Israel in the natural.
David did not pick up a sword, a spear or even a javelin. David did not even pick up a suit of armor.
David came at him with a weapon that Goliath had not prepared for at the time. Goliath was unprepared for a stone to be thrown from a shepherd’s sling.
Goliath let his pride get in the way. He focused on David coming at him as an insult instead of as an opponent.
David took advantage. He ran towards Goliath not to do hand to hand combat but to throw a rock. He ran towards Goliath not to duel it out with him sword to sword but to hit him before he knew it.
Once the rock hit Goliath he was down but not out. David took up Goliath’s big sword and hacked Goliath’s head off. It sounds rather gruesome and it was, but in the end the LORD showed David how to win a battle.
What is amazing about all of this is there is no record of David ever using his sling in this fashion before. When he tells King Saul that he has defeated a lion and a bear he doesn’t mention his sling. He says:
“…David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him.” – 1 Samuel 17:34-35 ESV
There is no mention of a sling in those battles.
What am I say. I am saying what Pastor Evans says in his book that the Holy Spirit impressed upon David to use a different tactic than normally used to defeat the enemy. The Holy Spirit impressed upon David to use a sling. The Holy Spirit knew that while a spear, a sword or even a javelin could not defeat Goliath a rock slung from a sling would do that job.
We see Israel doing something similar when they finally did reach the Promise Land with the city of Jericho.
Who walks around a city to defeat it?
You do when the Lord tells you that is what is necessary to defeat the enemy.
Joshua wanted the people to understand that when a people lose their protection and therefore are enemies of God then there is no need to fear a people. A people who become God’s enemies is a defeated people.
All around us today there are people who want to defeat the Church. They are shouting loud that the day of the Church of Jesus Christ is over. They are raising their fists to traditional values, to the Bible being God’s Word and to the faith that Jesus is the Only Way, the truth and the Life.
But we need to understand this truth. No matter how powerful evil tries to be, Our God has already defeated evil, death and the grave on the Cross. No matter how powerful Satan and his legion of demons try to be it just takes one word from Jesus to defeat them.
You and I are under the cover the Almighty. You and I are under the spiritual protection of God Almighty. We need to live like we are. We need to pray like we are and we need to witness like we are under God’s Power and Protection.
We can through the authority given to us in Christ experience victory.
Satan will do everything to defeat us. He will try to get us to focus on small numbers, failing finances, oncoming sickness and lack of passion. He will try to get us to focus on our mistakes, our failures and our setbacks. He will try to get us to focus on the negative.
If we allow that to take over our hearts, our minds and our souls then we will be defeated. We will join those in Numbers 14 who were condemned to spend 40 years in the wilderness.
However, if we allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us, the He will show us the pathways to victory.
They may be pathways that are unconventional. They may not make sense.
+A slingshot against a giant.
+Walking around a city for days at a time (Jericho)
+Raising your arms to help win a battle (Moses, Aaron and Hur).
+Feeding 5,000 with a couple fish and some biscuits.
+A song service that opens prison’s doors (Paul and Silas)
+God’s angels coming down to a man in exile and revealing some new truths (John on the Isle of Patmos)
The questions we have to answer this morning are these:
1. Are we allowing the Devil and Evil to silence us, paralyze us and overwhelm us with fear and anxiety?
2. Are we spending too much time murmuring and complaining instead of gathering together for prayer and encouragement?
3. Are we developing a defeatist mindset?
4. Are we willing to put away any rebellious thoughts and stiff necked ways?
5. Are we willing to boldly go in the protection of the LORD?
6. Are we willing to stand up against the voices both outside of the Church and even inside the Church that says that the day of evangelism, the day of salvation and the day of holiness is gone?
7. Will we stand with Joshua, David, Moses, Mary and others that will commit all their hearts, minds and souls over to the LORD so that through us He might do something mighty in these last days?
8. Will we be a part of a great movement that will forever change us, our families and the generations after us?
It took Joshua and Caleb almost four more decades before they got to the Promise Land. But when they got there:
+Joshua won battle after battle
+Caleb at the age of 85 did what he knew he could –
"From Hebron Caleb drove out the three Anakites -- Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai -- descendants of Anak." (Joshua 15:14)
Caleb doesn’t just take care of one giant – but three giants.
This morning, let us come to the LORD for the Lord to give us wisdom, knowledge and courage. Let us come before Him and open up ourselves so that we can be victors and not victims. Let us come before Him for Him to do a new thing though us that will cause all those around us to be amazed.
